30mm leupold scopes

[Red Dawg]

wondering if anyone has a long range varix-III and if it really is worth the extra money to buy one.

[Intruder]

"Worth" often is in the eye of the beholder.

IMO... the short answer is NO! 

The 30mm tube relative to other features such as coatings and glass is secondary when it comes to gaining performance.  The VariX-III relative to other scopes in it's price range doesn't compete as well. 

For the kind of money you're talking about take a look at Kahles and Zeiss.

In some circles.... the site to a degree, it is somewhat blasphemous to speak at all unflatteringly about Leupold.  Don't get me wrong, Leupold still makes a good product, in the USA, and with a rock solid warranty.  I still own 2 VariX-IIIs.  But objectively speaking (no pun intended) when you really start comparing them to other scopes price point by price point they fall behind in performance. 

[actionshooter]

I have one and I would say no, I have Burris scopes that are better. Leupold has just about lost me as a customer, the quality no longer matches the price for thier mid-high end scopes. Just my opinion, Leupold die hards don't freak out 

[Bookworm]

I have Burris scopes on most of my guns. My wife just got a new hunting rifle for x-mas. I told her to pick any scope in Sportsmans werehouse. She picked a burris over leopold or nikon.

[Red Dawg]

I guess what i am wondering is if the 30mm is either clearer and or collects light better than the 40mm tube. i want to put a 6.5 - 20 lr on a 22-250 for varmint hunting and i would like to know if you can see a prairie dog clearer at 500 yards.

[bobcat]

There is no 40mm tube. There is either a one inch tube or 30mm. The 1 inch tube is equal to 25.4mm so is slightly smaller. The objective lens is either 40mm or 50mm. The larger objective lens theoretically will let you see better in low light conditions, especially with the higher magnifications. Leupold never used to make 30mm scopes. I think they started doing so just to try to compete with the European scope makers. I'm no expert on the subject but from what I've read the 30mm tube is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. It definitely won't make any difference in how clear a prairie dog looks at 500 yards. That would only be a factor of the quality of the lenses, and the magnification. If it were me I'd just go with the 1 inch tube, but in the 6.5-20 I would go with the 50mm objective lens. In a scope for a big game rifle I would not go with more than a 40mm objective because the scope has to be mounted too high. But with the 20x magnification the bigger objective will likely be and advantage for early morning and late evening shots.

[Red Dawg]

you know what i mean. i guess my mind is faster than my fingers. i got on Leupold's site and they dont have a spec section for the long range scopes. i thought they might give you an advantage or disadvantage section on the 30mm tube. i just want to know if it will give me an advantage or not over the standard issue Leupold vari xIII.

[bobcat]

A good discussion here regarding 30mm tubes...

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/1950940/page/0/fpart/1

[Red Dawg]

got the chance to look through on in the field today. 6.5-20 mounted on kimber 22-250. very nice gun even better scope. it is amazing how clear those scopes are. i have to buy one now.

[high country]

i have a 30mm 3.5-14 lps, and just sold a 3.5-10 vari-xIII lr m3/cams. the 30's are great for the extra adjustment you get. the vari-x also has glass reticle. I would say for the money they are decent for a long range gun. optically they are no swaro but the leuys I have sent in were back the same month....I just got my swaro back.....I sent it in during elk season.

[Red Dawg]

i think they are the best for the money. they are tough and built to last through many hunting seasons. I am going to have a costom made for me through leupold i think my scope is going to cost me about 1200. that is for a 6.5-20 LR. The one that i looked threw was just incredible in my eyes. I think you will have to pay a lot more money to get an any clearer picture though any other optic. Plus leupold is made in the good ole USA. that means a lot to me also.

[high country]

that whole made in the USA thing is not totally true anymore.

[280ackley]

that whole made in the USA thing is not totally true anymore.

Which ones aren't made in the USA?

[bobcat]

I could be wrong but I believe all Leupold scopes are made in the U.S. The lenses could be made in Japan, or somewhere other than here, but the scopes are made here. Maybe that is what high country is talking about. As long as they're not made in China I'm ok with it.

[KillBilly]

Leupold is in Oregon and has been for years